Documentary
Rod Lott
When he died two years ago at the age of 94, celebrated cinematographer Jack Cardiff was responsible for shooting 73 films — many of them Hollywood classics, some not — from “The African Queen” to “Conan the Destroyer.”

Thriller
Rod Lott
From 1958, “Cry Terror!” wastes no time, doing its best to earn that exclamation point. Even as the opening credits are still going, two men talking spell out practically the entire plot:

Horror
Rod Lott
Curses! I've been tricked into watching another mumblecore movie! Here I am, just as I had shaken Joe Swanberg's wretched "Nights and Weekends" from my mind, and "A Horrible Way to Die" dredges up all those dreadful memories of that overly affected anti-style.

Horror
Rod Lott
Earlier this summer, I read a book about the history of slasher movies, and kept a list as I went along of movies I've somehow managed not to see. As if by sheer coincidence, Shout! Factory plops two of them together in one "Killer Double Feature": 1988's "Bad Dreams" and 1982's "Visiting Hours," each on their own disc.

Horror
Rod Lott
My first response after seeing the recent remake “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”: “I liked it OK, but I still prefer the original, although I haven’t seen it in probably 15 years.”

Horror
Rod Lott
So good are its recent Dario Argento reissues in high-definition that I'd been waiting patiently for Blue Underground's Blu-ray release of "Torso," a 1973 giallo from director Sergio Martino ("The Mountain of the Cannibal God"). Not only did it not disappoint, but it surpassed my expectations.

Sci-Fi
Rod Lott
Guillermo del Toro is a giant talent, but he has an equally giant problem in getting too close to his films, to a point where he's unable to see any of their faults; thus, they often overstay their welcome. ("Hellboy II: The Golden Army" was among 2008's most tiresome movies, but length was hardly that one's only problem.)

Horror
Rod Lott
Poor Daniel Baldwin. In the opening moments of “Born of Earth,” his wife is murdered, his kids get sucked into the ground, and he survives, meaning he has to star in the torturous remainder of “Born of Earth.”

Comedy
Rod Lott
Cock! Snake! Pig!

Horror
Rod Lott
Immediately, I understood why 1986's "Killer Party" enjoys such a cult following: The unconventional slasher opens with a stereotypical flaming priest quoting "The Wizard of Oz" as he presides over a funeral. It's all a goof — part of a movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie joke.